For the second year running, York has hosted a meeting of medieval architecture and cutting edge technology as local businesses boosted their digital skills with Google.
Over 80 businesses from York and North Yorkshire gathered on Tuesday 16 July for a day of free digital skills training delivered by Google Digital Garage in partnership with City of York Council.
Held in the city’s fourteenth-century Hospitium, Tuesday’s session concluded a series of three events – two online webinars and one live training day.
Over two years of the council’s partnership with Google Digital Garage, over 400 businesses have been able to learn new digital skills thanks to these events.
Debbie Weinstein, MD of Google UK & Ireland, said: “Digital technologies are truly transformative and can help businesses and individuals across the UK to increase their earnings, boost their productivity and unlock their full potential.
“As a former business owner myself, I understand how tough it is to know where to turn to for advice. That’s why we’re providing hands-on support as part of our nationwide digital skills drive to help equip more people with invaluable skills that help to create jobs and economic opportunities.”
Among the topics covered were crafting effective AI prompts, how to save time using AI-powered tools and techniques and the fundamentals of data analysis. Businesses also learned how to problem solve like a consultant, by defining a ‘problem statement’, implementing proven problem-solving techniques and finally, evaluating solutions.
Cllr Pete Kilbane, Executive Member for Economy and Culture, said: “York is well known for its fabulous history, but it is also at the cutting edge of science and innovation. This Google digital garage taking place in our medieval Hospitium shows how York’s future economy sits easily with our proud heritage.
“Our Council Plan, ‘One City for All’ aims to build a thriving economy that is driven by innovation and good business. These events are just one example of the work our business growth managers are doing to help local businesses to upskill, innovate and grow.
“We’ve seen rapid growth in the AI tools now available to businesses of all shapes and sizes, and it’s vital that our local businesses are able to use these to their advantage, to boost their profits and remain globally competitive.
“It’s been a really enjoyable, engaging day and I hope that our city’s businesses have been inspired to seize the opportunities offered by AI.”
